


Somebody's Baby

by GhostOfNoah



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce is also a terrible dad, Forgive Me, I know the girls should be here but I'm not confident in my ability to write them, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 14:35:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12014808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostOfNoah/pseuds/GhostOfNoah
Summary: When Damian picks up his tea cup nobody sees the first drop of blood hit the tile.Nobody notices that Damian is now standing perfectly still until it's too late.





	1. Dick

The morning sun broke weakly through the kitchen curtains, the birds hopped eagerly on the window sill as the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls wafted through the tremendous manor.

This is how it always started, Dick noted. Jason eyes his baked goods lovingly, Tim saunters in with a coffee nobody saw him get and finally Damian comes in behind him. The morning is normal, for once, Damian and Tim don't bicker, Jason has Damian's tea already steeping at the kitchen counter and it's nice.

When Damian picks up his tea cup nobody sees the first drop of blood hit the tile. Nobody notices that Damian is now standing perfectly still until it's too late. Dick is the first to notice, and even though he knows how this plays out he's stuck in his mind. He wants to change it, his body screams for it, to react quicker, to grab him faster but it plays out the same every time no matter how hard he fights.

Dick looks up at Damian standing by the kitchen counter, the dark blood seeping from his left nostril. He stands up quickly, concern blooming in his chest.

"Damian? Are you alright?"

He has Tim and Jason's attention but Damian only looks up at him and Dick can see now the blood in his eyes and the terrible expression painted on his face.

The only thing he says is "Richard?" before he collapses. The name isn't a question, for a second Dick isn't even sure Damian can see him through his blood filled eyes.

The delicate china breaks against the floor and Damian crumples. Despite being the furthest away, Dick jumps and crawls across the kitchen table, knocking down his chair in the process.

He's never moved so fast in all his life.

Dick pulls Damian into his lap on the floor and even though he checks his vitals he knows he's gone before he even grabs his wrist to check for vitals.

Tim is screaming now and Jason is calling for Alfred, but Dick is stuck on the floor his eyes locked on Damian's.

Blood trickles from the orifices in his face and Dick can't mentally grasp what he's looking at. The panic is too much, Tim's screams are too much. Dick finds himself shaking his brother, calling to him, begging him to come back. But he doesn't. He never does.

Dick wakes up with a shout like he has every night since it happened. He's drenched in his own sweat and his heart is hammering in his chest.

He let out a weak sob and pushed himself out of bed. It was the same thing every night since it happened, trapped in the same vivid nightmare.

Jason and Bruce had both disappeared afterwards presumably burying themselves in work. Tim threw himself into patrols and research, almost delirious with the thought that Damian could come back again if they just tried hard enough.

They said that the magic had failed, which after the loss of his superpowers Dick hated himself for not thinking it was a possibility, and so it explained the suddenness of his death. But they were broken all over again; and likely worse for it this time.

Dick dragged himself down the cold hallway and pushed open Damian's bedroom door. Everything had remained untouched aside from the bed where Dick came to sleep every night after his nightmares. But something was different this time. The room was cooler than it should have been and the smell of tobacco lingered. With a deep frown he scanned the room and found Jason sitting on the massive window frame, the moonlight outlining his frame, the small light from his cigarette as he pulled on it lit up his tired face.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Dick spoke, surprised from the own hoarseness of his voice.

"I don't come as often as I should." Jason answered, "I guess you've been sleeping here?" He nodded at the bed.

"Yeah...it's the closest I can get to him anymore.." he felt the lump forming in his throat, "I don't really know what else to do."

Jason just nodded slowly and took a long final haul from his cigarette before flicking it haphazardly out the window.

"Nobody does." Jason said heavily. He slid off the window ledge and made his way to the bed as Dick settled into it and pulled Damian's blankets up to his chin. "Everyone is the same then? Still no Bruce? Tim is unhinged? You still won't go out?"

Dick nodded and pulled his legs up to his chest to make room for Jason on the small bed.

"I can't Jay. I can't go down there. Tim is basically living in the cave, Bruce won't come home and every time I go down I just see his suit in that glass coffin and I just-- I can't." His voice broke, giving way to a flood of tears. Jason sighed and moved up to sit beside Dick. He draped his arm over his shoulder and pulled him close, placing a small kiss on the top of his head.

"I know. God do I know..I'd do anything to have that little asshole back. To have Tim back and God fuck Bruce this is just a mess." he clenched his fists and tried his best to calm down, "It's been six months and I jut don't see how this can get better...the last time he...the last time was different, we found an answer almost immediately and we clung to it and we got him back but now..." he sighed and pulled Dick to him, "There's nothing we can do and he's just gone this time."

He could feel Dick shaking against his side, his body racking with silent sobs.

"I'm sorry, I'm not helping." He tried to pull away from Dick, to run away again, but he held fast, clutching at his brother desperately.

"Please stay," he croaked, "Please don't go Jay, you're all I have."

And how could he go after that? Looking at Dick broken and exhausted, he settled back down beside him. "Alright.", he pulled him close once more, "I'll stay."

His exhaustion catching up with him, Dick pressed himself against Jason's side and let out a shaky breath.

"We'll be okay," Jason lied, resting his head against the top of Dick's, "We have to be."


	2. Tim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He stumbles across something he really probably shouldn't have...

It was a series of beeping that woke him up this time, nevertheless he woke up sweaty and breathless, fresh out of a nightmare he couldn't remember, panic fresh in his chest.

He pushed the rolling chair away from the massive keyboard he'd fallen asleep on and stretched his arms with a yawn. Tim wiped the sleep from his eyes and almost struggled to get up, his legs screaming with lack of use.

  
The BatCave had become his home the last six months, the chair his bed, Alfred had even brought down a coffee pot and a series of cups. Despite never seeing the old butler everything was always cleaned and stocked. Thinking about it he never really saw anyone anymore.

  
The night after the funeral Bruce put on his cape and cowl and disappeared. Tim and Jason tried to track him down but every time they got close, Bruce always appeared to be one step ahead and he was gone. Jason gave up not long after that and moved back into one of his safehouses, Tim didn't see him anymore after that. And Dick. Dick never stepped foot in the cave after. He didn't leave the manor. He pulled the battery out of his phone when it got too much, he just stayed in his room and at night when he thought nobody knew he'd go into Damian's room after being chased out of nightmares with screams that rattled the bats in the cave. It took Dick almost a week to start eating again and longer than that, Tim guessed, to sleep.

  
But Tim wasn't going to let this be the end. It couldn't be. After the funeral Tim had begun looking at different methods of returning the dead. Old magics, Alchemy, Rituals and even the Lazarus Pit. He'd come so close every time, but there was always a snag that set him back but he wouldn't give up, he couldn't.

  
After ten or so minutes of lounging, Tim forced himself to get up and the smell that followed him told him he needed to shower. He ignored the continued beeping coming from the computer and turned on the coffee machine as he passed it on the way to the shower.

  
After it had happened, Tim had tried to keep himself surrounded by friends, to not let himself get dragged back down to that dark kplace that had snagged him before. But the guilt was overwhelming. Every time his mind wandered away from Damian he would see him out of the corner of his eye, when he closed his eyes from it he would hear his last words, that tortured "Richard?", he'd hear the familiar "-tt-" when a lead came up dead and almost worse than everything, just before he gave way to sleep he'd hear the rare sweet sound of Damian's laughter. These were the things that kept him determined.

  
Damian had died before, he thought while the hot water of the shower beat down on him, Jason had died and Bruce. All that happened this time was the magic wasn't strong enough, all he had to do was find something stronger. He'd tried lying to himself that if they'd use the Lazarus Pit it would go better than it had with Jason. If they kept an eye on Damian, used better methods then they'd have him back and he'd be fine. But he couldn't imagine pitching the idea to Bruce or Dick, let alone Jason.

  
He turned off the shower with a sigh and stepped out in the cool air of the cave. There had to be another answer first. He'd exhaust every resource he had before he made that decision. But his end thought process was the same; he was going to bring Damian back. Whatever it cost.

  
Tim toweled off and dressed quickly before padding off towards the smell of fresh coffee. When he made it back out to the opening he noticed with a frown that the beeping was still sounding from the computer. He poured himself a cup of black coffee and walked back to the massive machine, his eyes up at the screen.

  
A small red blinking caught his attention, and he cleared his throat.

  
"Computer, open messages."

  
He'd almost expected messages to come in after the announcement of Damian's death but this was the first in the six months since it happened. Complying with his command, the computer opened the small message that simply read:

  
July 6th, 1pm  
515 Dunnally CT  
Johns Creek, GA 30022  
\- Ra's

  
Tim had to read the message six or so times before moving onto his next thought. This was a message from Ra's. This was a meetup for, Tim looked at the small calendar at the corner of the screen, tomorrow. He wasn't sure what compelled him to get ready then, but he did. If Bruce also saw this message, which presumably he did, then he would be there. He left his coffee on the desk and took the stairs back up to the manor two at a time.

  
He was surprised by the harsh greeting of sunlight, but he pushed past it. He couldn't actually remember the last time he was outside. Was it the funeral?

  
Tim made it up to his bedroom in no time. He threw the door open and began packing right away. Clothes, passport, wallet, he decided not to take his suit and merely observe as a civilian. When he was packed, he reached for the cellphone on his bedside table and dialed Alfred.

  
"Master Timothy?", he sounded older than he should have but Tim ignored it.

  
"I don't have time to explain, Alf, but I need an immediate flight to Georgia and a car on the other side. I'll work out the hotel details once I get there, I don't know how long I'll be staying."

  
"Right away Master Timothy." he hung up the phone, and Tim jogged to Dick's bedroom.

  
He wasn't surprised to find it empty, but the pang in his chest when he realized he was in Damian's room was enough to bring him to his knees. He ran his hands through his wet hair and decided to leave a note instead. He wouldn't be gone that long...

  
His phone beeped in his pocket and the small message on the smartphone screen told him his private flight was ready to depart once he arrived. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked down to the parking garage where his bike waited.

  
Tim wasn't sure what was waiting for him in Georgia, but maybe if he could meet with Ra's himself he could help. He would help.

  
Wouldn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagined that with Alfred's upkeep with the house, he also kept Tim's phone charged haha 
> 
> Imm working on chapter three as we speak!

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually been working on this for awhile, and Imm super excited about it! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing this.


End file.
